ECN

Abbreviation with 2 meanings

ECN
Stands forEngineering change notice
Meanings2
CategoriesScience & Engineering, Business & Finance

ECN has two meanings. It stands for Engineering change notice (engineering) or Electronic communication network (stock market & investing).

Meanings of ECN at a glance

#ECN stands forContext
1Engineering change noticeScience & Engineering › Engineering
2Electronic communication networkBusiness & Finance › Stock Market & Investing

1. Engineering change notice

Science & Engineering · Engineering Abbreviations

Document that communicates an approved engineering change to manufacturing, purchasing, quality and suppliers, listing affected parts and drawings and the effective date. In some companies ECN and ECO are used interchangeably.

Example: Production must not use the old bracket after the date shown on the ECN.

Effectivity can be set by date, serial number or lot, and the ECN states whether existing inventory may be used up, reworked or scrapped. Good change documentation is essential for traceability during recalls and audits.

2. Electronic communication network

Business & Finance · Stock Market & Investing Abbreviations

Automated system that matches buy and sell orders for securities electronically, displaying them anonymously to subscribers and allowing trading outside traditional exchange hours. ECNs helped bring electronic trading to US stock markets in the 1990s.

Example: After-hours orders are routed through an ECN, so spreads can be wider than during the regular session.

Early ECNs such as Island and Archipelago were later absorbed by exchanges; Archipelago became the core of NYSE Arca. The SEC's 1997 order-handling rules boosted ECN growth. In forex, "ECN brokers" pass client orders directly to liquidity providers.

More engineering abbreviations

  • CTE – Coefficient of thermal expansion
  • DCS – Distributed control system
  • DFA – Design for assembly
  • DFM – Design for manufacturing
  • ECO – Engineering change order
  • EIT – Engineer in Training
  • EPC – Engineering, procurement and construction
  • ERV – Energy recovery ventilator

See all 79 engineering abbreviations →

More stock market & investing abbreviations

  • DRIP – Dividend reinvestment plan
  • DTCC – Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation
  • DTE – Days to expiration
  • EAFE – Europe, Australasia and Far East
  • EDGAR – Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval
  • EM – Emerging markets
  • EMA – Exponential moving average
  • EMH – Efficient-market hypothesis

See all 110 stock market & investing abbreviations →